T20 WC: Afghanistan defeat New Zealand by 84 runs

Spin wizard Rashid Khan and pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi sliced through the New Zealand batting order, leading Afghanistan to a resounding 84-run victory in the Group C match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at Providence Stadium on Friday (local time).

With two consecutive victories, Afghanistan solidified their chances of qualifying from Group C. The Blackcaps were outplayed in all aspects, as the Afghans continue to unearth T20 stars, making the nation dare to dream in the Caribbean.

New Zealand’s fielding errors handed Afghanistan too many lifelines, which backfired as the Kiwis suffered an uncharacteristic collapse with the bat. Upsets have been a recurring theme in the ongoing T20 World Cup, with debutants USA defeating Pakistan and Canada overcoming Ireland.

Defending a target of 160, Farooqi sliced through the top order with a 3-wicket burst inside the batting powerplay. He dismissed Finn Allen on the very first ball of the innings and followed up by taking the wickets of Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell before New Zealand could gain any momentum.

After Farooqi’s initial onslaught, Afghanistan’s spinners capitalized on the spin-friendly Guyana pitch. Rashid Khan, the Afghan captain, immediately made an impact by taking the prized wicket of Kane Williamson (9 off 13) with his first ball. He then claimed two more wickets at the start of his next over, leaving Mitchell Santner to face a hat-trick ball.

Rashid finished with impressive figures of 4/17 off his four overs, including the dismissal of Lockie Ferguson in his final over. Farooqi ended New Zealand’s resistance by removing Matt Henry, bundling out New Zealand for 75 runs in 15.2 overs to seal the 84-run victory.

Earlier, Afghanistan’s openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran took full advantage of numerous fielding errors, including a missed stumping and a fumbled runout by keeper Devon Conway, as well as a dropped catch at deep backward square leg. The openers brought their team past the 50-run mark in under 10 overs.

Gurbaz brought up his second half-century of the ongoing T20 World Cup, scoring 80 off 56 balls. Ibrahim Zadran contributed a handy 44 off 41 balls, while Azmatullah Omarzai added a quick 22 off just 13 deliveries. Despite a mix-up that saw captain Rashid depart and Gurbaz’s dismissal at 80, Afghanistan managed to post 159 runs on the board for the Kiwis to chase.

Brief score: Afghanistan 159/6 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 80, Ibrahim Zadran 44; Trent Boult 2-22) vs New Zealand 75 all out in 15.2 overs.